Monthly Archives: November 2014

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If you have seen our earlier post “The different kinds of 3D printers” you should start to realize just how fast 3D printing is taking over the world. But if you still are skeptical and doubt the new revolution, here comes another excellent introduction of the different kinds of 3D printing technologies, all thanx to ExplainingTheFuture. This new democratization of manufacturing is spreading all over the world like wildfire, and you don’t want to miss out! However, not everyone can afford an own personal 3D printer, or doesn’t have enough use for one to rationalize the cost. If you are one of these people, you will be pleased to know that you can find other people in your area with a 3D printer that are willing to print out your object for a charge, simply by visiting 3dhubs! You can even use it to make your own handy mascot by downloading the 3D models for free and ask someone to print it out for you!

It’s almost the big holidays and that means it’s the perfect time for me to arrange my very first giveaway! But it’s not like other giveaway contests because this is not for you, but for a person you would like to give it to. So if you have a friend or a family member that you believe deserve and would appreciate their very own Handy Mascot, write it down in a comment on our YouTube page underneath the video! On December 7 I will check all the comments and the one that has gotten most thumbs up will be the winner! I will of course post a video with the result the following week.

Keep in mind that this Handy Mascot kit is not safe for children under the age of 12 years old so only plan to give it to people you know that are at least 12 years old!

If you win this kit, I will send it to you, so that you in turn can lovingly give it away to that deserving family member or friend as a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa gift! There is nothing to lose, so why not take a chance? Write down who you would like to give this to and why in the comment section on our YouTube page. And don’t forget to share this video with as many as possible and subscribe to our YouTube channel to find out who gets the prize!

We all know styrofoam. It’s that white light-weight material that protects your goods while it is shipped. It may come as chips, molded pieces or even raw blocks and sheets. It’s used as insulation, shock absorber, modelling material and much more. But most of all, it is cheap! You can buy big blocks of it for a few dollars or find big pieces in your nearest dumpster for free! This is probably why most people see it as trash and not a building material. Well Make: magazine is here to show you how useful it can be! In this particular tutorial they make Halloween tombstone props but if you watch the video, you should easily see how these techniques can be used to make almost any form out of cheap and feather light styrofoam! And by the way, you don’t need special tools like soldering iron or a hot wire foam cutter. Tools like scissors, files, knifes and sandpaper can just as easily be used, although the surface might become a bit rougher. But since acetone (nail polish remover) can melt styrofoam, perhaps you can use a acetone damp paper towel to polish those surfaces? Now that would be a neat experiment!

Have you ever seen beautifully ornamented leather objects such as saddles, high-end purses or belts and thought “I wish I could do that…”. Well thanx to Bruce Cheaney here is a simple beginners tutorial on how a pattern can be cutted and stamped into leather. In this video, a tool called a “Swivel knife” is also used, and if you don’t know what that is, we have collected the demonstration for you here: What is a swivel knife?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could mark stuff with your name, slogan or logo in a way that wouldn’t wear of? You need a branding iron! But instead of ordering really expensive ones, you should consider making your own. As this tutorial from John Heisz shows, it isn’t tricky at all. With just an old metal wrench as material and simple tools like drills, files, a hacksaw and an angle grinder, John Heisz makes his own branding iron with the name of his website “I build it.ca” with excellent results! Just watch and learn how you could make your own permanent stamp. And if you need help doing the pattern transfer, check out our How to transfer inkjet prints to wood post, it works on almost any surfaces.